Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

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Crème Brûlée Cupcakes are the fun twist on the classic French dessert that you’ve been craving! It’s everything you love about crème brûlée but in rich, easy, delicious cupcake-form. Imagine a light and fluffy vanilla bean cupcake, filled with a luscious vanilla bean custard, generously frosted with a simple vanilla bean buttercream, and finally finished with crackly caramelized sugar. There is just SO much to love!

About The Recipe

It’s almost Fall, it’s Friday, and it’s my birthday! So, for today, we are sharing a delicious take on one of my absolute favorite desserts…crème brûlée! I know we are all excited for Fall this year, but we wanted to do something fun and special for today.

Not everyday one turns 23, you know?

I’ve talked about it before, but crème brûlée really holds a special place in my heart. It’s one of my absolute favorite desserts and has been since I was a child! It’s truly so nostalgic for me.

My mom used to keep the vanilla custard in ramekins in the freezer all year long. So, whenever we got a craving, we could pop it out of the freezer, sprinkle with sugar, and brûlée the top.

It was easy, quick, and SO. DELICIOUS.

So, today, I was feeling a bit nostalgic. I thought it would be fun to share something that was nostalgic for me, but with a fun new twist. I mean, who doesn’t love cupcakes?!

Every bite is rich, creamy, full of vanilla flavor, extra sweet, with just the right amount of crunch coming from the brûlée’d sugar! I am seriously OBSESSED with these cupcakes and they have been the perfect treat to celebrate today, tomorrow, whenever.

What Are Crème Brûlée Cupcakes?

Okay, I get that it can sound a little weird. So, let’s break it down. This recipe is essentially a classic vanilla cupcake recipe, but made with vanilla bean to intensify the flavor (plus make it a little fancier!). Then, each cupcake is filled with homemade vanilla custard.

So, where did we get the “crème brûlée” part? Well, as you may or may not know, the word “brûlée” translated to…burnt. The full dessert actually translates to burnt cream.

So, to make these delicious cupcakes into a crème brûlée-style dessert, we caramelized some granulated sugar over the stove, crushed it, and sprinkled it on top of each cupcake! So, there you have it. A crème brûlée cupcake 😉

Reasons You Will Love These Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

• The cupcake is made in only TWO bowls!
• Made with real vanilla beans to give these cupcakes the ultimate flavor.
• Tastes just like the classic dessert!
• A real crowd pleaser.
• Perfect for any and EVERY occasion.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Muffin Pan
• Cupcake Papers
• 2 Quart Sauce Pan
• Wooden Spoon
• Stand Mixer
• Piping Bag
• Piping Tips

Ingredients

Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

For The Cupcakes:

• All-Purpose Flour – No need for cake flour in this recipe! All-purpose flour creates the perfect texture and structure.
• Granulated Sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Baking Powder – Leavening is essential in baking! This is what gives these cupcakes their light and airy texture.
• Salt – Cuts some of the sweetness, while also enhancing the flavor of the cupcakes.
• Large Eggs – Remember to set your eggs out ahead of time to allow them to come to room temperature.
• Whole Milk – Milk adds extra protein and fat to give these cupcakes the perfect structure.
• Vegetable Oil – Keeps the cupcakes moist and tender!
• Vanilla Bean – Adds an intense vanilla flavor and sweet undertone to these cupcakes.

For The Custard:

• Egg Yolks – You will need 3 large egg yolks for this recipe, but no worries! You can use the excess egg whites to make breakfast the next morning or make our meringue cookies.
• Granulated Sugar – Adds just the right amount of sweetness! You will also need a little bit of extra sugar to brûlée on top the custard, after it’s made and set in the tart shell.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch thickens the custard to the perfect consistency.
• Whole Milk – Heating the milk is how the eggs are tempered.
• Vanilla Bean – This is the secret to the best flavor in this custard! Using vanilla bean adds a strong, but delicious flavor.
• Salted Butter – Remember to set your butter out ahead of time to come to room temperature!

For The Frosting:

• Salted Butter – We always recommend that you use salted butter for frostings, as it helps enhance the flavor of the frosting and cuts some of the sweetness. Though, if all you have is unsalted, you can use that. Just add a pinch of salt!
• Powdered Sugar – Be sure to sift the powdered sugar, as lumps in the powdered sugar can mean a lumpy frosting.
• Heavy Cream – Using heavy cream in this frosting helps loosen it to make it pipable, while also keeping it light and fluffy!
• Vanilla Bean – Keeping with the theme of crème brûlée by using some more vanilla bean!

For The Brûlée’d Sugar:

• Granulated Sugar – Using granulated sugar is the only sugar to use for caramelized sugar! Be sure there are no lumps in your sugar before cooking.

How To Make Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

Step 1: Prepare custard

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and corn starch together.

Add egg yolks. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Pour milk in a small sauce pan. Split and scrape vanilla bean into milk. Add the pod you just scraped. Heat over medium low heat just until it starts to bubble around the edges.

Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture a little at a time.

Cook over medium low heat, whisking continually, until it reaches a pudding consistency, about 10-20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Whisk in butter.

Pour into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it is touching the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 2: Make batter

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, oil, eggs, egg white, and vanilla bean.

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Step 3: Bake

Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until done.

Step 4: Prepare buttercream

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth.

Add milk and vanilla bean. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 5: Brûlée sugar

Pour sugar into a skillet. Shake gently to level sugar out. Heat, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until sugar has melted and turns golden. Immediately pour onto prepared sheet pan. Set aside to cool.

Step 6: Assemble cupcakes

Use a cupcake corer or sharp knife the cut the centers out of the cupcakes. Fill each cupcake with pastry cream. Spread, or pipe, buttercream on top. Break brûléed sugar into pieces. Place on top of cupcakes.

FAQ’s and Troubleshooting

How To Store

If you have cupcakes leftover, the best way is to definitely refrigerate them! If placed in a lidded and airtight container, the cupcakes should last up to a week. 

Substitutions

• If you don’t have vanilla beans, you can use vanilla paste.

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Expert Tips

• Remember to take out the vanilla bean from the heated milk before adding it to the egg mixture.
• Be careful to not add the heated milk too quickly to the egg mixture! Slowly stream it in while whisking constantly. This will ensure no lumps of cooked egg in your custard.
• If you think there may be lumps of cooked egg in your custard, no worries! Run the cooked custard through a fine meshed sieve into a clean bowl before refrigerating.
• Be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder.
• Remember to preheat your oven!
• Be careful to not over-mix your cake batter.
• When making the brûlée’d sugar, be sure to keep an eye on it! You don’t want it to burn. Once all the sugar is dissolved and the sugar turns a golden color, you will need to quickly remove it from the heat and pour it onto the prepared pan.
• Make sure to get the brûlée’d sugar as thin as you can when pouring it! You don’t want thick chunks of sugar.

When you make these Crème Brûlée Cupcakes, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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